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Sunday, 1 April 2018

Russell Corbett's Jazz North East Round Up

Sun Ra Arkestra- Gateshead Jazz Festival

Last month the Beast from the East
decimated jazz gigs across the North East. April is bound to be kinder, isn’t it? And
with the Gateshead International Jazz Festival starting on Friday 6th it had
better be! For three days Sage Gateshead is the only game in town. Tiptoe open
proceedings playing a set on the concourse at six o’clock on Friday and from
then there is a non-stop three days of concerts, pre concert talks and
workshops. Topping the bill on Friday evening is…you decide – the triple bill
of the Sun Ra Arkestra, Tony Allen’s Art Blakey set and Zara McFarlane, perhaps
the programme of four European pianists playing solo sets – Alexander Hawkins,
Kaja Draksler, Bojan Z and Giovanni Guidi, or will you choose to hear the Big
Chris Barber Band?

Saturday gets under way at 10.30am with
Pete Churchill’s all ages vocal workshop. Restaurant critic Jay Rayner plays
jazz piano, Issie Barratt conducts a Jazz Co-op workshop ahead of her Interchange
Dectet’s performance on Sunday, Sheila Jordan returns to conduct a masterclass,
Norma Winstone shares a stage with American guitarist Ralph Towner and Ruby
Turner is the attraction in Sage One in a double bill with Maceo Parker. More
late night sets follow including Chris Sharkey’s premiere performance of The Orchid and the Wasp.

Sunday dawns early with a European Jazz
Network seminar Gender in Jazz
(10.30am), Sheila Jordan performs in concert with the Pete Churchill Trio with
the bonus of a support set by Zoë Gilby and Andy Champion. Elsewhere in the
Norman Foster-designed building you can find the regional youth jazz ensemble
Jambone, an afternoon of jazz programmed by Jazz North East, House of the Black
Gardenia and the top class Guy Barker Big Band with Georgie Fame. Many more
events are scheduled and for full details visit www.sagegateshead.com

Surprisingly there is jazz elsewhere in the region! Alan Barnes and
Dave Newton play two rural venues in County Durham – Boldron Village Hall (Apr
5) and Newbiggin & District Village Assoc (Apr 6). The BBC Big Band visits
Darlington Hippodrome (Apr 10) and there is always a healthy contingent of ‘big
names’ in the line-up. The Gala Big Band can be heard on home ground at the
Gala Theatre in Durham (Apr 17) and the Strictly Smokin’ Big Band returns to
Hoochie Coochie (Apr 22) to play an early evening set in front of what is sure
to be another capacity audience.

Janette Mason is touring her new Red Alert CD calling into the Old Cinema Laundrette in Durham
(Apr 11), saxophonist Lewis Watson has a rare outing with the Mick Shoulder Quintet
(Apr 13) at Bishop Auckland Town Hall – don’t be caught out, it’s a one o’clock
start, and in the evening what do you do when there are no fewer than four
enticing gigs? The Customs House Big Band returns to Spennymoor Settlement,
Clare Teal is at the Gala, Durham, trumpeter Tom Sharp brings in his Asaxual
outfit to Opus 4 Jazz Club in Darlington and at Gateshead’s Prohibition Bar,
located just off the Tyne Bridge, there is the Society Four. A tough choice.

The Paul Edis Trio opens a new jazz venue in the Newcastle suburb of
Fenham (Thursday Apr 19) at St James’ & St Basil’s Church so do get along
and show your support. The Alice Grace Quartet (Apr 20) launches the 2018 jazz
programme at Ushaw College, Durham and finally, the last week in April sees a
rush of activity at the Globe. The Newcastle Jazz Co-op presents Teduloca (Apr
22), Swing Bridge – the trio of Dan Martin, piano, Dave Parker, bass and Peter
Ninnim, drums (Apr 28), and, last, but by no means least, the annual
celebration of International Jazz Day (Apr 30).